Ms Jefferson
by Kiwi Anime
Summary: A soon to be graduate of Harvard Law, Joanne Jefferson goes through such things as parents, homosexuality, and the discovery of a new lover. Rating upped for content.
1. Homeless Bums and Offices

**A/N:** OK, so I realized there are no fics out there on a certain somebody. So, I typed this up. May continue. May not. Ye have been warned.

.-.-.

The subway was jam packed, full of pick pockets and junkies. Anybody who was a native New Yorker knew the basics: never keep anything in your back pockets, keep a hold on your purse, and don't start getting in a daze.

Of course, a certain somebody on this subway was not a native New Yorker.

Her dark eyes looked around her as she tried to find a way to squeeze past everybody and find something to grab onto before the subway began moving again. She heard a crackled voice on the intercom as the doors slid shut and the subway started with a jolt before she could grab anything. She fell over almost immediately, not used to the sudden movement.

She wasn't even a New Yorker, technically. Not yet. She was only visiting to see if she could find a place to move into once she finished her graduate degree. So far, her first visit to the Big Apple had consisted of nearly tripping over a homeless bum in the street and having to deal with a total pervert as he eyed her suspiciously.

She picked up her purse, whose contents had scattered all over the floor of the subway, trying to shove everything back in. She looked around for her wallet, but couldn't see it anywhere. _Could somebody have grabbed it so quickly?_ She found it (thankfully) underneath one of the seats and grabbed it before somebody could even think of snatching it. She felt a few curious eyes bore into her back, and it was pretty hard to ignore them. _Is it that obvious I'm not from around here?_

She brushed off her business suit after straightening up, grabbing onto a handle at the last possible second. No sooner had she grabbed the handle did she feel another horrid jerk that made her stomach toss. A few more crackling sounds from the intercom, and she struggled to figure out where in the world they were stopping at.

She tapped a business man on the shoulder. "Excuse me, but do you know what-?"

The subway came to a stop and the doors opened. The man got off without even glancing at her. She made after him, ready to bug him until he paid any notice to her, but he was gone before she could say anything else. She looked up, seeing a sign marking where she was now. It meant nothing to her. Some street. All she knew was she had to get somewhere and she had no idea how to do it.

"Lost, honey?"

She turned around to see an old lady in a chair. She was smiling softly. The almost college graduate sighed, nodding. The woman smiled still. "Where you need to get to?"

The young woman fumbled for something in her purse. She then pulled out a piece of paper and began reading from it. "Err...I need to get to the Legal Aid Offices, on 16th street..."

"That's this stop, honey. You better run off before it's too late."

She didn't need another explination. She dodged out of the subway just in time, squeezing between the doors as they began to close. She gave a sigh, relieved she had made it. She straightened out her suit again before making her way up the stairs to the sunny street above.

"Gotta dollar, sweetie?"

She jumped, stopping on the steps just before she stepped on yet another homeless man, sitting on the steps with nothing but a lawn chair next to him. The woman gave a dejected shrug, rushing off before the man could ask her again. _What a crazy city..._

She stopped at the top of the staircase, spotting a map. She sighed, checking it, trying to decipher it with all the graffiti that had been drawn on it, re-naming some of the streets to words she'd preffer not to have seen. After a moment of examining, she looked in the direction the map indicated to get to the building she wanted. Just across the street, she saw a big building. She sighed, hoping she had found the right place. She began to walk across the street...

_BEEP!_ She froze, just before a speeding taxi zoomed in front of her. The taxi driver glared at her, making a very rude gesture with his hand before speeding away. She continued crossing, still slightly shocked. _Not only is it crazy, it's downright _crude

"Are you Ms. Jefferson?"

She looked up, seeing a confused business man with a very large nose standing in front of the door. The woman paused before nodding slowly. The man gave a big sigh. "Thank goodness you're here. Your parents are on the tenth floor, room 102." She gave him a thankful smile before hurrying in through the revolving door into the building.

She got into the elevator, tapping her foot impatiently as it slowly began to ascend. She took a moment to recollect. _I'm going to a meeting with my parents to secure my job in their legal firm once I've graduated in a month in June. They will want to know how everything has been in Harvard. How much should I tell them? 'Yes, Mother, Harvard is wonderful. ...Do I have a new boyfriend? Well, not exactly...' 'Father, of course I'm keeping up on my schoolwork. ...Have I made any friends? You could say that...' ...No, what should I tell them?_

There was a soft _ding_ as the elevator doors slowly opened. She strode onto the floor, checking the door numbers as she went. "115...114...113..."

_Seriously, what if they ask about that kind of thing? They would totally flip if they found out their little Joanne..._

"109...108..."

_...whom they had paid so much money for to attend this prestigious college..._

"105...104..."

_...went lesbian._

"102." She stopped in front of the door of the offending office, taking a deep breath before knocking sharply on the polished wood.

There was the sound of papers ruffling as she heard a deep voice call out. "Is that my little Kitten?"

Joanne rolled her eyes as the doorknob turned and the door opened, revealing her father. He was a little on the pudgy side, but definitely not immensely so. His hair was gray and balding, and his little nose was like a little button. The old man smiled, pulling his daughter into a hug. "How is my Kitten?"

The soon-to-be lawyer smiled, rolling her eyes as her father tried to stand on tiptoe to measure up to her height. (She was around a head taller than him.) "I'm great, Dad."

"Oh, I need to let your mother know you're here." Her father let go of her, and went over to his desk, pushing a button. "Honey? She's here!" Joanne could hear her mother's voice give an excited squeal as she heard a door open and shut just down the hallway. Joanne peeked out of the doorway and saw her mother, also slightly pudgy and just barely shorter than her, came at her and gave him a big hug just like her father.

Joanne stood there, as her mother began to cry over-emotionally. "Oh, I've missed my baby so much!"

The young woman could do nothing but hug her mother back, rolling her eyes. "I missed you too, Mom."

Her mother let go of her, before leading her back into the office and shutting the door behind her. "So...how is Harvard?"

_Here we go..._ "It's great, Mom." Joanne smiled half heartedly. _Please don't ask about..._

"Do you have any new boyfriends?" Her father gave a chuckle. Mrs. Jefferson gave her husband a stern look, but her eyes crinkled with laughter just like his.

Joanne gave a convincing laugh. "Ha ha. You were always so funny, Father." _OK, you have to tell them..._

Her father laughed, jolly, like some sort of Santa Claus. "Oh, tell us about him, Kitten."

Joanne felt her face turn red (which is hard to do for somebody of her ethnicity, mind you) at she began thinking of a way to explain this to her parents. Her mother chuckled. "Honey, don't pester her! She'll tell us about him if she wants. As long as he's a respectable young man, she knows we'll approve of him."

_How am I supposed to do this?_ "Well...Mom...Dad..." She smiled, lovingly.

Obviously she gave something away from her attitude. She had tried to hide her nerves, but it must have shown as her mother's face grew concerned. "...What is it?"

"I...well, you see, you have to understand..." _They're going to flip no matter how you tell them._ "I don't have a boyfriend."

They both looked dejected. This made her feel even worse. Her father patted her softly on the arm. "Don't worry, Kitten. What young man wouldn't fall in love with such a beauty?"

_Just say it_. "I...have a girlfriend."

Silence. Dead...utter...and complete silence. Joanne gave a nervous laugh. "Well...there you have it." How could her parents, two of the most traditional, heavily strict Catholics, ever accept this?


	2. An Elevator and a Compact Mirror

**A/N: **Ok, so I'm continuing. I guess. –blink- Not sure where I'm going with this. I might change the title, but I have no idea what to name this other than the boring title it has now. Lemme know if you have any ideas.

.-.-.

The elevator doors slid shut in front of her as Joanne let out a long sigh. _That went better than expected..._

They had both been quite shocked at first, of course. Why wouldn't they be? The little girl they had raised so strictly and put through every college preparatory class had left for college, not seeing them for four years because of both of their busy schedules, and she returned something they had never expected. What well-respected parent wouldn't be completely _floored_ at the discovery their daughter was a lesbian?

Her mother had been the first to blow. She asked how Joanne could have done this to _them_, after all they had done for her. Her father had rushed to her daughter's aid, calming her mother. In the end, Joanne had left after her father had assured her that they would always love her no matter what. Her mother didn't say anything, but Joanne hugged her, and she could tell she had been forgiven of her 'sin', as her mother called it at first.

The elevator jolted slightly as it began to move downwards. Joanne stared at her reflection in the shiny metallic doors. _I, Joanne Jefferson, soon-to-be-graduate of Harvard Law, have just told my parents that I am a lesbian. And they didn't disown me. Amazing._

After a moment longer of looking at herself in the door, her stomach gave an odd lurch as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. Joanne hustled out, ready to leave the building as quickly as she could, as if afraid her mother would appear suddenly and begin yelling at her. She paused at the revolving door, though, and turned back to the receptionist's desk. There was nobody there. She tapped lightly on a little bell twice, and a young woman around her age appeared with smooth, black hair. A gold nametag on her chest shone, displaying the name 'Daisy'. The receptionist smiled at Joanne. "Hello. How may I help you?"

Joanne stuttered for a second. "Err, well...you see, I'm new here to New York...and..."

Daisy smiled. "You want directions to where you need to get?" Joanne smiled in a defeated sort of way, nodding. "Where you headin' to, hon?"

Joanne pulled back out the piece of paper from before with the names and addresses of all the places she had to go to in the next few days she would be here. "I need to find 1st Avenue and 10th street..."

A few minutes later, Joanne was standing outside a building on the corner of 1st Avenue and 10th street, just as Daisy had directed her. She took a deep breath, even though she wasn't sure what she was worried about, and knocked on the door three times. After a pause, the doorknob rattled slightly and somebody opened the door. "What is it?" A man looked at her, his closely trimmed hair giving him the look of an army recruit.

Joanne blinked a few times. Why was she, a future lawyer, always so bad at first impressions? "I, uh...saw an ad for an available space here..."

The man nodded. "That would be here. You want the space?"

She stuttered a little more. "Well, you see...I'm a current student down at Harvard...and I, uh...had the weekend off...and I'm just..."

"Do you want it or not?" He looked like he was getting annoyed with her. That wasn't good.

"Er...I was wondering if I could see the room, first." _Amazing how horrible you still are at conversation with any stranger, even after so many years at Harvard..._

The man shrugged. "Come on in." He opened the door a little wider, admitting the young woman in. She stepped in, looking around. The man gestured upstairs. "The lower floor is mine. I live here alone, but I'm willing to rent out the floor above me." He began going upstairs, and Joanne, assuming she was supposed to follow him, climbed up the stairs after him.

The man opened a door at the top of the stairs and showed Joanne inside. She looked around for a moment. She was in a completely empty room, with holes in parts of the wall and scratches on the floor. She could see two doors slightly ajar, one leading into an extremely cramped bathroom, the other leading into a room not much bigger than the one she was in with a single double mattress on the bare floor.

He grinned. "I'm sure somebody of your intelligence can see what a deal this is. It's enough for just one, maybe two if you got cozy." He said the last word with a little wink, as if it was a private joke between them.

Joanne walked over to the door leading to the 'bedroom', ignoring the odd smell that greeted her. "What's the rent?"

He shrugged. "About a thousand a month."

Whatever she had suspected, she certainly hadn't suspected the answer she received. She had to restrain her jaw from dropping to the ground as she turned to face the man. "A...thousand a month!"

He acted as if she should be groveling at his feet in gratitude. He extended his arms, a smirk on his face. "Hon, you won't get much better for space like this."

_Space! She had heard New York was crowded, but for this little room? And so expensive...even with working at her parents' legal firm, she wasn't sure she could afford such expensive rent. But if he was telling the truth, she didn't have much of a choice..._ "I'll take it."

It seemed as if Christmas had come early. His smirk broke into a big, toothy grin, and he extended his hand. "Perfect! Let's shake on that deal." Joanne took his hand in his, his firm grip threatening to shatter the bones in her hand. "Wonderful. Now, when are you planning on moving in?"

It took a moment for Joanne to consult her mental calendar. "June 13th."

Her new landlord clapped his hands together. "Sound good. I'll see you then. I expect your first payment that day. Oh, and one more thing," he said, just as she was turning to leave, "You do realize you'll have to buy all your own furniture. I'll give you the mattress for free, just 'cause I like you."

Joanne gave a half-hearted smile. "I understand." She turned again, walking briskly out of the small apartment-esque room she knew would be her future home. She walked out onto the street, taking in the sunlight for a moment. Now she just needed to find a subway stop and make her way to Grand Central to catch the 5:00 train to Massachusetts. Once she was there, it was back to her dorm in Harvard.

After about thirty minutes composed of two dead ends and three wrong turns, she walked onto a much less crowded subway, taking a seat near the front of the car. If she had interpreted the map correctly, she had to wait four stops until she got to Grand Central. She reached into her purse, pulling out a tube of lipstick and a compact mirror, reapplying her dark lipstick in one graceful movement before stuffing the stick and mirror back into her purse.

A few people stood up at the first stop, hustling off as quickly as they could. Joanne was left almost completely alone except for a bum who was sleeping in the back of the car. She heard the sound of somebody drumming on something, probably to earn a few extra cents.

Just before the doors shut, a hustled young woman rushed into the car, breathing heavily. She paused at the doors, lurching only the slightest bit when the train began moving, as opposed to Joanne, who nearly fell out of her seat. This caused the woman to giggle slightly, immediately making Joanne self conscious. She avoided eye contact with the newcomer, not liking when people laughed at her.

The woman seemed to find Joanne's uncomfortable behavior just as funny, if not funnier, than her nearly falling over, and laughed again. "Why so shy?"

Joanne remained silent. She really had to get over this fear of talking to strangers if she was going to be a lawyer. Just...not now. She heard the woman walk over to her, her footsteps punctuated by stiletto heels, and sit in the seat next to her. "Relax! Why so uptight? I'm not going to bite."

Joanne looked up, smirking slightly in spite of herself. "I'm not used to talking to strangers."

The woman laughed again. Now that Joanne was closer to her, she saw she was dressed in tight, black pants and a pink tank top that accentuated every curve in her flattering body. "You're not from around here, are you?" Joanne shook her head, shrugging. "No offence, but it shows."

Joanne laughed lightly. "Is it that obvious?"

The woman nodded her head, her wavy black hair bouncing slightly. "You look like a lawyer."

This made Joanne laugh a little louder. "Are you a mind reader or something?" The woman shrugged, and Joanne assumed she should continue. "I'm actually not a lawyer yet. I'm graduating from Harvard in a month, and I'm visiting for the day to make sure I'm all ready to move here."

She looked genuinely interested, which made Joanne very happy. Nobody in this city so far had really acted as though they really cared about anything she did. "That's really interesting, actually!" All of a sudden, she let out a sharp laugh that made Joanne jump slightly. "Oh my god! I've been going on, and I haven't even introduced myself!" She extended a hand. "I'm Maureen."

Joanne blinked. Then, after a soft smiled, she returned the gesture, taking Maureen's hand in hers and shaking. "Joanne. Pleasure to meet you." And for once, she felt something between them, a soft pull that made her feel wonderful inside. This wasn't any ordinary companionship she was building, she could guess that much.


	3. Lovers and a Pay Phone

**A/N: **-falls asleep from boredom- Today was a reading day, so we didn't have to come to school today unless we had last-minute questions to ask out teachers before finals begin tomorrow on Tuesday. But my mom made me go today. So now I'm sitting up at school, wishing I could just collapse in my bed at home instead of pretending to study in the back of the library surrounded by freshmen whose parents made them come as well. So, I write.

.-.-.

_Where are my keys...? Here we go..._ Joanne pulled out her key ring, finding the small key and putting it in the doorknob, turning it before opening the door with a shove and entering her small dorm.

It was getting late, almost ten o clock. She hadn't been expecting to even get back tonight. She was fully prepared to spend the night in a hotel at New York if she needed to stay a day longer. But she hadn't suspected her first try at an apartment to be successful. So she was back, and quite happy to be so.

Her and Maureen had carried on a very interesting conversation on the subway, and had ended up getting off at the same stop. Maureen had given her a hearty hug as a goodbye, and Joanne noticed moments later when fishing through her purse for money to buy a ticket back to Massachusetts that somehow she had slipped a small piece of paper into her purse with a phone number written on it. Joanne had smirked, shoving the piece of paper back into her purse, amazed she had just been flirting with an almost complete stranger.

Joanne tossed her bag onto the chair at her desk, collapsing onto her bed and staring at the ceiling. Her roommate, Celia, was probably out studying with her study group like she usually was on Friday nights. She and Celia had been dating for the past month, and every Friday Celia had gone to her study group, promising Joanne a 'good time' the next night. She never broke her promise.

But Celia wasn't going to be back until about midnight. Joanne didn't mind; she trusted her girlfriend and believed anything she said. Why wouldn't she? She was new to the world of homosexuality, and she felt sure that Celia would never lie to her.

Just as Joanne was about to drift to sleep, she heard the doorknob into the small living room that conjoined her room and Celia's rattle slightly, closely followed by somebody open the door. Joanne blinked, slightly confused. That couldn't be Celia. She was never back from her study group this early. Joanne sat up in bed, listening intently. She could hear two female voices, giggling slightly...she stood up immediately, throwing open the door of her bedroom.

She couldn't believe her eyes. There was Celia, her lips connected to those of another girl Joanne didn't recognize, as the two began to entwine each other in their arms. Joanne let out a loud gasp, and the two broke apart almost immediately. Celia turned to face Joanne, stunned. "Jo! I didn't know you would be back tonight! You said you'd be back tomorrow..."

Joanne couldn't find words to express how she felt. She now saw that the stranger Celia had been kissing so passionately was half-naked, just barely covering areas of her body that should be kept covered in public. Joanne opened and closed her mouth multiple times, unable to connect speech to her feelings. Celia gave a nervous laugh. "Jo, it's not what it looks like, I swear..."

Finally, she found words to accompany her disgust. "My God. I can't believe...Celia, I thought...you..." Her fists were shaking, her nails digging into her palms. "You _whore_!"

Celia took a step backwards, a distressed look on her face. "Honey, Jo, just let me explain..."

"I've seen enough." Joanne broke in before she could finish. "I've seen plenty. You don't have to explain anything."

Celia stuttered slightly, putting on a very good imitation of a deer trapped in the headlights of a massive Jeep. "Jo, please..."

"No more, Celia. We're _through_." Joanne turned on her heel, storming back into her room, hastily grabbing her clothes from her drawers and throwing them on the bed. She went into her closest, pulled out a duffel from the top shelf, and shoved the clothes on her bed into the duffel.

Her roommate rushed in, stuttering useless explanations, pointless apologies. "Jo, I'm sorry, never again. She's an old friend, we ran into each other just tonight. You know I only love you, Jo..."

Joanne threw the last of her possessions into her duffel and zipped it shut, throwing it over her back. "I'll be back tomorrow for the rest of my stuff." She stormed out of her room, ignoring Celia's pleas and cries for forgiveness. She threw open the door of her dorm, rushing out and slamming it shut behind her. She ran as fast as she could, holding back the tears that threatened to spill forth from her eyes. She ran down the stairs, the tears refusing to be restrained another moment longer. She walked into the open air of the night sobbing, leaning against the side of the building for support as she cried her heart out, broken, lost.

She cried like that for who knows how long. When she finally looked up, the first thing she saw was a pay phone next to the front door of the dorm building. Her hand dove into her purse, and she pulled out the slip of paper. She rushed up to the phone, staggering slightly, her hand trembling as she punched in the number on the keys. She couldn't call her parents, and she had no other family or friends that weren't all the way in California.

_Ring. ...Ring. ...Ring. _"Hello, you have reached the apartment of the beautiful, stunning, simply _dazzling_ Maureen Johnson! Leave a message at the beep!"

The tone beeped in her ear. "...H-hello? It's Joanne...I need to ask you something..."

"Hello? Joanne?"

The voice on the other line was concerned. Joanne knew her voice probably sounded awful. Her voice shook as she spoke. "Hey. I-I know this is sudden...but I have a favor to ask you..."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I-I need somewhere to spend the night..."

"You sound horrible."

"Thanks. Can...can I spend the night...at your place?"

Pause. "O-of course! Can you get here Ok on your own?"

"A-actually, I need to catch the next train back up there..."

"Oh, I'll wait for you at Grand Central. OK?"

"Th-thanks, Maureen..." This spontaneous kindness from a near stranger was refreshing, fulfilling. "I-I'll be there as soon as I can..."

"OK. I'll be waiting." The line went dead as Joanne hung the phone up with a still shaking hand. She took multiple deep breaths, then began making her way to the bus stop to get to the train station.

.-.-.

"Joanne, you look terrible!" Maureen rushed right up to her as the distraught woman stepped off of the platform. "What happened?"

"I-I'm not sure...I went back to my dorm, and sh-she came in...and she was making out with another girl..."

"Oh, honey," Maureen sighed, pulling Joanne into a hug. "I'm sorry. You deserve better."

Joanne sighed, hugging Maureen back. "Thanks."

They continued to hug one another for a moment longer, and Joanne felt a sudden warmth inside her. Maureen broke away first. "Come on. Let's get to my place. We'll have to take the subway to get there, but it's not that long of a trip."

Joanne nodded weakly to show she understood. Maureen led her along, offering a shoulder to lean on as they made their way onto the subway.

After a short subway trip and a shorter walk, Maureen was opening the door into what looked like a former studio of sorts. "Mark and Roger..."

"Who?"

Maureen shrugged. "My roommates. Mark and Roger are gone for the week, and Collins is still at NYU. So the loft is mine until Monday. You're welcome until then, but I dunno how you'll take to Mark or Roger when they get back."

Joanne sighed, masking her confusion. All boys and one girl? She was probably straight, then. One of them was probably her boyfriend. But why had she slipped her number into her purse, then? "So, where can I sleep?"

Maureen thought for a second. "Well, Mark and Roger's rooms look like bombs went off inside, and Collins would freak if somebody used his room while he was gone. That leaves the couch or in my bed with me."

The last option got Joanne very nervous for some reason. "Oh, no, I'll just sleep on the couch."

Maureen looked at her for a moment longer. "You sure? There's enough room for both of us..."

Joanne shook her head. "I...wouldn't feel comfortable. It's kind enough of you to let me stay here. I wouldn't want to intrude any more than I already have."

After a moments pause, Maureen shrugged. "OK. Here, lemme see if I can find a blanket from Mark's room..." She disappeared into one of the rooms, leaving Joanne to stand in the middle of the main room she was in. She looked around. A coffee maker on the counter looked as if it hadn't been used for months, and there were old posters on the wall she didn't understand. Sheet music and folders that contained what she assumed were screen plays littered the floor, and a wood burning stove was situated next to the couch. Joanne sat down on the couch, suddenly very exhausted.

Maureen returned quickly, bearing a comforter. "It's a wonder Mark stands that room. You can't even see the floor."

Joanne laughed softly. Celia was like that as well. Whenever Joanne had gone into Celia's room, she had the impression somebody had taken every variety of trash and useless junk and dumped it into her room. Maureen set the comforter on the floor next to the couch, gathering up the random sheets of paper on the couch and tossing them to the floor. Once the couch was cleared and Maureen had placed a pillow at the end of the couch, she looked up. "Will that do?"

Joanne nodded. "Thank you very much. I just couldn't stay..."

"I understand." Maureen placed a warm hand on Joanne's shoulder, smiling with equal warmth. Joanne smiled back, the hand on her shoulder comforting. Maureen gave a soft pat on the shoulder, and then turned to her own room. "Good night, then!" She vanished into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Joanne sighed, picking up the comforter from the floor and draping it over the couch. She crawled in underneath the soft cover, resting her head on the pillow. She was asleep in minutes.

.-.-.

**A/N: **OK. That's two chapters of one story in one day. I'm most likely done for the day. Writing juices spent. Now maybe I'll actually study for finals. Haha.


	4. A Coffee Maker and an Answering Machine

**A/N**: This is the first thing I've written (besides my Macabre Puppet Show piece) since I've finished finals. Thank GOD they're over. –long sigh of relief-

.-.-.

Joanne woke the next morning from odd dreams filled of Celia and that stranger...and Maureen. She didn't quite understand what it was about her, but she was so kind to her...

As she first woke, she didn't want to open her eyes. If she opened her eyes, she would find herself in Maureen's place, and it would confirm that all the events of the night before had really happened. If she just stayed here, motionless, maybe she would even fall back asleep. And then again, maybe everything she had dreamt had been one big dream. Yes, last night didn't happen. She was in her dorm right now, and when she opened her eyes, she would be in her own old bed, ready to get dressed and board the next train to New York. Yes, Friday hadn't even happened. No Mother still staring at her with wide eyes. No odd landlord. No Maureen. And _definitely_ no Celia, coming into her dorm late at night with another girl. None of it had happened...

"OW!"

Her fantasy fluttered away as her eyes snapped open at the sound of somebody shrieking. Joanne sat up on the couch, looking around the large loft for whoever had made the sound. She saw Maureen next to the coffee maker, her right index finger in her mouth as she jumped up and down, muttering curses under her breath. Joanne rubbed her eyes for a moment before speaking. "Maureen? What's wrong?"

The young woman spun around, still sucking on her finger. "Good morning, Joanne. Stupid coffee maker...it burned my finger..."

Joanne stood up, only realizing when she stood that she was still wearing the clothes from last night. She looked around her, at the dirty windows that let in just a little bit of light. "What time is it?"

Maureen was now shaking her hand roughly, as if trying to shoo away the burn on her finger. "About ten."

It took a moment for Joanne to recuperate from this realization. She never slept this late. "T-ten!"

Maureen shrugged. "Well, you didn't get to sleep last night until about one."

Now it made sense. Joanne usually was in bed by ten o'clock. An extra three hours awake meant an extra three hours of sleeping. Now her whole sleeping schedule was thrown off. For a moment Joanne was going to worry about this, but she stopped herself, thinking to herself that is was silly to worry about things like that. "Thanks." She looked back up at Maureen and saw her fiddling with a Band-Aid. "You want me to make the coffee?"

Maureen gave her an appreciative smile. "Sure. I can't figure out that thing for the life of me..."

A while later, both of them were sitting on the couch, quietly drinking their mugs of coffee. (It had taken an extra minute or so to actually find some clean mugs.) Maureen was telling Joanne all about the history of 'the loft'.

"Well, first it was just Mark and Roger here. But then I met Mark about six months ago. He's such a sweetie. So I moved in January. Benny moved in not too long before then, but he moved out last month to marry some yuppie chick, Allison. Roger calls her Muffy, though." This caused Joanne to laugh into her coffee, a few drops sloshing over the edge. Maureen smiled at her. "I know. And, well, Collins had been Roger's friend for years, and he has his own room for when he's not at NYU. He's coming back in a week, I think, to spend the weekend."

"What does he study at NYU?"

"Oh, he doesn't study..." Maureen began to laugh softly, as if she was trying to hide the hilarity of the situation.

Joanne raised an eyebrow. "What does he do there?"

"Well, I guess he's technically a teacher..." Maureen laughed a little more. "He's an anarchist philosopher. And he's trying to establish his own theory of 'Actual Reality' in all the universities on the east coast. He's going to try MIT for the summer and fall semesters."

"...'Actual Reality'?" It was hard for Joanne to conceal her interest. She was always interested in philosophy. She had thought often that if her parents hadn't been lawyers, she might have studied it further. "How does that work?"

Maureen shrugged. "I don't get it that well. But he's so enthusiastic when he talks about it, it must be pretty good. He'll get so into it..." Maureen jumped up suddenly, feet spread apart, and spoke in a low voice and began to imitate whom Joanne assumed was Collins, complete with sweeping arm movements and foot stomping. "Our world is being _destroyed_ by the virtual life of today! All this 'virtual reality'! Whatever happened to that grand _ACTUAL_ reality?"

Both of them were laughing by the time she was finished making her point. Joanne had to set her coffee mug on the floor so that it didn't tip over. "He sounds like a neat guy, actually."

Maureen nodded. "He really is. I mean, all the enthusiasm he has...it's almost a turn-on." Both of them continued to laugh. "Too bad he's gay."

"Seriously!" Joanne didn't seem to be able to stop laughing now.

"Yeah!"

It took almost a minute before either of them had stopped laughing. Joanne was the first to stop after a few calming breaths. "What about Mark and Roger? What are they like?"

Maureen shrugged. "Roger...well, he's having a rough time. You see...his girlfriend, April...she died not too long ago."

This wasn't what Joanne was expecting. "Oh...I'm so sorry to hear."

Maureen shrugged again. "Yeah. She slit her wrists after just leaving a note to Roger telling him they were both HIV positive."

Joanne was stunned. "She committed suicide because she found out she had AIDS? And just left her boyfriend!"

Maureen had her eyes closed in deep thought. "Yeah, the bitch. Me and Mark never liked her, and I don't think Collins was impressed when he saw her. And Mark found out not long after April died that both of them had been doing smack pretty heavily."

Joanne put her hand over her mouth to suppress her gasp. Maureen looked up at her. "Yeah. So that's how they probably got the virus. That's why their both gone. Mark took him to a rehab place up north. Said he'd probably be back Monday. Didn't know if Roger would be coming back with him or not. That's why I think it might not be so good if you stuck around to see them back."

Joanne nodded. "I understand completely. I need to get back to Harvard to finish up my classes anyways. I'll...call the dean of students to tell her I'm switching dorms. I know another friend of mine who I'll be able to room with."

Maureen placed a hand on Joanne's, smiling. "You're always welcome here during the weekends. Do you want me to go up there myself to get your stuff?"

Joanne shrugged, picking up her almost empty coffee mug from the floor. "If you want to. I was gonna go up today anyways."

"Honey, I'll just go up there. You're welcome to stay here. Just write out directions on how to get there from the train station, and I'm good."

"Are you sure?" Joanne blinked a few times, taking her mug to the sink and turning the tap, slightly confused when no water came out. "I can just go up myself..."

"No, no." Maureen brought her own mug over, reaching around Joanne and hitting the handle as a weak stream of water suddenly came out and began rinsing out the two mugs. "I'll go up. You don't need to have to see that bitch ever again."

Joanne looked Maureen in the eye, smiling. "Thanks. That means a lot. Seriously."

Maureen smiled back, setting the two mugs full of water to soak in the sink. She walked over to another counter, grabbing a pad of paper and a pen. "Just write some directions, and I'm all good."

Joanne nodded, taking the pen and quickly writing out some directions, including which bus to take from the station to get on campus, which building she was in, and her apartment number. She handed the pad of paper to her, smiling. "Here. It's on the third floor of the building. And if the cab tries to take you to Building B, smack 'em upside the head."

Maureen laughed softly. "I'll be back by three, then! You can stay here, or explore, whichever. If you walk up 11th street, there's a nice café, Life. You can grab a bite there for pretty cheep. I'm fresh out of cash, but if you've got enough that might be a place to consider."

Joanne smiled. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind, definitely."

Then, Maureen did something Joanne didn't expect: she pulled her into a tight hug. Joanne stood for a moment, stunned, and then returned the hug. Maureen hugged her a moment longer, then let go, smiling. "You take care of yourself!" She had turned and gone just as suddenly as she had hugged her, and Joanne was left blinking in a dazed manner.

Joanne looked around the now empty loft. She saw a folder that seemed to be brimming with black and white photos. Joanne moseyed over to the folder, picking it up. There were a lot of pictures in there. Many of them were of a dark looking young man huddled over his guitar, playing a song. A few others were of the same man with a smiling girl, and Joanne immediately assumed this was Roger and April. Roger looked like he would be a great guy to know, and she could tell from the look in his eyes as he played he was loving it.

She saw a few pictures taken of a spontaneous Maureen, doing crazy things in front of the camera, posing in every possible manner. She even saw one picture in which it looked like Maureen had grabbed the camera and pulled the photographer into the picture. He had glasses and looked thoroughly annoyed that Maureen had his camera, and Maureen was laughing. This must be Mark, she thought. Even though Maureen hadn't specifically said he was her boyfriend, she could tell.

There were a few rare pictures of a tall man with Roger, laughing at Roger, probably at something he had said. Joanne assumed this was Collins from the energy that seemed to leek out of the picture and infect her with happiness. It took a great person to excite somebody through a picture, this much she knew.

She found one picture that definitely made her smile. It looked like it was the whole group: Mark holding the camera in front of them all, Roger holding him in a one-armed hug, a wide-eyed Collins hovering over them all, and Maureen cuddled up next to Mark with puckered lips. There was somebody else there, too: another man, with a light smirk, who was pulled into the picture by Collins. This stranger was looking at Maureen as he seemed to be shaking his head. Benny, she guessed. He seemed the most out of place out of them all, but even he had a light in his eyes that told Joanne all of them were happy. A true group of friends, meant for each other. It wasn't often you saw a group like that. Was Joanne destined to be a part of this group? Even though she hadn't met any of them before, she felt like she had known them, had seen their faces somewhere before...

_RIIING_. Joanne jumped, dropping the folder of pictures. She spun around, facing the phone as the answering machine went off. The sound of two men droning in monotones: 'Speak.'

A man's voice came over the speaker, concerned. "Maureen? Oh, you're probably out...Umm, it's me..."

Joanne hesitated for a moment, not sure what to do. Maybe she should just let the answering machine get it. If this was Mark, it would be hard to explain who she was, and moreover, why she was in his apartment.

"Umm, the specialists gave Roger a sort of plan I'm supposed to help him with for the next few months so he can, umm...get over this..." Joanne immediately felt uncomfortable listening to this. She felt like she was invading somebody's personal life. "So, both of us'll be back Monday, like I told you...umm, don't try calling here when you get this, we'll probably already be on our way down...So, the loft's still yours until Monday."

A cynical voice came on. "Bet she's burned down the building or something."

"Roger, not now!" Mark (for she was sure it must be Mark now) hissed at Roger, and then continued in his normal tone. "So, I'll see you then, honey..." The line went dead as Joanne suppressed laughter at Roger's comment. For as short of a time Joanne had known Maureen, she almost suspected that Roger had been almost serious in his joke.

Maybe she should go try getting a bite at that Life Café Maureen mentioned. Joanne grabbed her jacket off of the floor where it had fallen off in her sleep, rushed into the bathroom to make sure she looked alright (she had to wash her face), and walked out of the loft, ready to walk back out into this crazy city that had already brought so much change in the 24 hours she had known it.


	5. Baggage and 'Baggage'

A/N: So, yeah, my computer is being stupid and not wanting to access the internet. So I'm typing this up after a few hours of not being able to post Chapter Four. So, yeah. TWO chapters for you, unless the internet starts working before I finish this chapter.

.-.-.

Joanne walked back into the loft about an hour later. She took off her jacket, dropping it on the couch. The Life Café had been good and inexpensive, just like Maureen had said. But had she really questioned her? Was her trust in others so severely shaken because of Celia? _Yes, it was...you put all your trust blindly on a wooden block, and she chopped it in half..._

Just as she collapsed on the couch, ready to relax for a moment, the phone pierced the silence. _RIIIING. _"Speak."

"Hey, Joanne, if you're there, it's me...just checking to..."

"Maureen!" Joanne had rushed over the second she had heard Maureen's voice. "Hi!"

"Hey! How are you doing?" Maureen sounded pretty happy.

"Oh, just got back from trying that Life Café you told me about." Joanne began idly pacing around as she talked.

"Good, wasn't it? And it doesn't rip you off of all your cash, either."

"Definite plus." Joanne smiled as she talked. It was getting easier to talk to Maureen. It usually got easier for her to talk to people as she got to know them.

"Definite." The two of them laughed for a moment before Maureen continued. "Hey, I'm just calling from the train station here in Massachusets."

"You found the dorm all right?"

"Yeah, I did, thanks to your very specific instructions." There was a pause between us. "There wasn't anybody there, if that's what your wondering. I left a note."

"What did you say?" She was serious once again, like she was when she concentrated on something important in a mock trial at school.

"I just said, 'Grabbed the rest of my stuff, see you in class.'"

"OK. Works."

"Had a feeling you would keep it short and sweet, anyways." Another pause. "Hey, I've gotta scram, the train back up there leaves in ten minutes."

"You better get on." Joanne was smiling again, but she was still thinking about Celia. She had begun to realize that she no longer trusted Celia at all. She didn't even think if she could see her face to face again.

"I'll be at the loft, soon! You can just hang out there."

"I'll see you then. Oh, Maureen..." Maureen paused, about ready to hang up, as Joanne remembered something. "Umm...I think your friend Mark called. He left a message." Silence. "He said he's bringing Roger back with him."

Maureen probably tried to cover the receiver as she sighed softly, but Maureen could hear it.

. "And you're sure you're gonna have a place to stay once you get back up here to Harvard?"

"Sure. I was gonna call them in a second, actually. You get on that train. You can listen to the message when you get back. I'll be here."

"OK! See you then!" The line went dead. Joanne smirked, putting the phone down on its base. Now to call that friend of hers, and maybe get a bit of work done before Maureen got back...

.-.-.

"I'm hoooome!" Maureen called out as she walked in, bearing a bulky suitcase. Joanne leapt up from the couch, setting her textbook down to help Maureen with the suitcase.

"Thanks a ton." Joanne stumbled slightly as she tried to pick up the suitcase and grunted slightly under the weight. "Literally."

Maureen laughed lightly, helping Joanne as the two of them threw the suitcase down next to the couch. "I made a guess that your room wasn't the one with stuff all over the floor. And since a lot of these textbooks had the name 'Joanne Jefferson' on them, I assumed that was you."

Joanne opened the suitcase up a fraction, taking a peek at the contents. "That's my stuff all right. Thanks."

Maureen smirked, straightening up slightly and going over to the kitchen-esque area of the loft. "Wonder if we have anything in here, I'm starved..." As if it randomly occurred to her, she added as a side note, "Did your friend say it was OK?"

"Yep." Joanne picked her textbook back up, balancing it on one knee as it fell open. "Said she'd be ready for me tomorrow."

Maureen looked up at Joanne. "Then you've got the rest of today here!"

Joanne shrugged. "Supposed so. But you've probably got plans. I can stay here and study."

Maureen sat down next to her, peering over her shoulder at the textbook, reading a line aloud. "The Law and It's Components, by James E. Wentworth. Wow. Sounds heavy."

The future lawyer shrugged. "You're telling me."

Maureen looked up at her. "Why did you decide to be a lawyer, anyways? I mean, you do have the aura of one, but what got you into it?"

Joanne looked up, smirking. "You told me that yesterday, on the subway. Remember?" Maureen laughed lightly as Joanne continued. "Yeah, I guess my parents were both lawyers. I was born and raised on the west coast, and my parents moved the same year I left for college to start their firm here in New York. I haven't been up here but a few times to visit them."

Maureen laughed again. Joanne just loved Maureen's laugh for some reason. "So...you became a lawyer because...your parents were both lawyers? No other reason?"

Joanne shrugged. "Well, I read into it a bit in high school, and it sounded interesting. So I got my bachelors in 2 years, and went on to Harvard for 3. And I'll be graduating in a month."

"What date?"

Joanne looked up from her book, a little surprised. "June 14th. Why?"

Maureen's smile grew, spreading across her whole face. "Because, silly! I want to come!"

Joanne blinked. "Well...that's great! I'd love it if you came!" It was amazing how open and inviting Maureen was with her...and they hadn't even known each other for a day.

Maureen shrugged, her smile just as big as ever. "Hell, maybe even Mark and Roger'll come...maybe just Mark...Hey, maybe Collins – "

"I wouldn't want somebody to take a break off of their job just to see a law student graduate. Besides, I don't even know any of these people. The only thing I know of Mark and Roger are their voices."

Maureen jumped up. "The message!" She rushed over to the answering machine, pressing the button. The voice Joanne had listened to in panic came on, and she could listen a little closer now that she wasn't so confused. "Maureen? Oh, you're probably out...Umm, it's me..."

Maureen laughed. "That's Mark, all right"

"Umm, the specialists gave Roger a sort of plan I'm supposed to help him with for the next few months so he can, umm...get over this..." Joanne glanced over at Maureen to see how the news came to her, but she was simply staring at the answering machine. "So, both of us'll be back Monday, like I told you...umm, don't try calling here when you get this, we'll probably already be on our way down...So, the loft's still yours until Monday."

"Bet she's burned down the building or something."

"Oh, that Roger..." Maureen had an annoyed tone, but she was smiling, so Joanne knew she hadn't taken Roger's comment personally.

"Roger, not now!" This caused Maureen to laugh a bit. "So, I'll see you then, honey..." Maureen blew a little kiss to the answering machine as the line went dead, and Maureen hit the 'delete' button on the machine.

She turned to face Joanne, smiling. "He's a sweetheart. I think you would like him."

Joanne shrugged, smiling back. "He sounds like it. And Roger sounds like I imagined him from the pi-" Joanne cut herself off, but knew the second she did she couldn't back out.

Maureen raised an eyebrow at me. "What is it?" Somehow, her eyes wandered over to the folder on the floor, which had lain forgotten on the floor ever since Mark first called. She picked it up, and immediately began laughing.

Joanne sighed in relief, knowing she wasn't mad. "Roger sounds exactly like I imagined him. From those pictures there."

Maureen rolled her eyes. "They're all easy to pick apart. Mark's the one you never see unless I _drag_ him into a picture, and Collins is the one who wants to jump right out of the film and give you a big hug." She continued leafing through the pictures, and paused on the one Joanne guessed was the big group one of them. She smiled. "And there's Benny. Wow. That picture's old...That's before April or Allison." She sat back down on the couch, letting Joanne see it.

Joanne smiled at her. "You all look so happy."

"We were!" Maureen's smile faltered. "Are. We still are all happy. Except..." She drifted off slightly. "Roger's been different ever since he met April. And Benny...he didn't used to be so concerned about our money issue. Sure, he was always making sure we kept paying the landlord...but now, once he marries Allison...this is the kicker...he'll be our landlord. I dunno if I can live under a roof controlled by that back stabber."

"He'll be...your landlord?" Joanne blinked, looking up from the picture.

"Well, yeah. This isn't any Allison. This is Allison Grey. Of the infamous Westport Greys." Joanne's eyebrows rose like theatre curtains once again. "Oh, you probably haven't heard of them. All you need to know is that Allison's pop, and Benny's future father-in-law, basically owns half of East Village."

"Pretty influential man, I take it."

Maureen shrugged. "You can call him that." Maureen looked over at the clock, which now read 3:30. "Holy-I need to get going. My boss'll kill me if I'm late again!" Maureen jumped up, rushing into her room, and Joanne heard the sounds of Maureen frantically looking under the bed for something.

"Where do you work?"

"At a bar. It's only temporary. Roger used to bring home bacon from his gigs..." She rushed out of her room, pulling on a coat as she walked. "But, seeing as there will be no more gigs for a while from Roger...Me 'n' Mark gotta pay the bills." She paused at the door, turning around to face Joanne, who was standing, unsure of what to do. "You'll be OK here alone, right?"

Joanne nodded. "Of course. I've got work to do anyways, now I've got all my textbooks. If I don't finish reading this chapter I have due Monday, I'm screwed."

Maureen smiled, reassured that Joanne wouldn't be bored. "Here, I'll leave the number to call me at just in case..." She scribbled a number down on the pad of paper from before, ripping off the page and handing it to Joanne. "I'll be back late tonight. The couch is yours again. Help yourself to whatever food we happen to have lying around. See ya!" She rushed out of the door, muttering about which subway would be fastest to get her to work on time.

Joanne sighed, settling down on the couch and picking her textbook up again. She couldn't help feeling like being with Maureen was become normal now, even though it still hadn't been a full day since she had met her.

About an hour later, as Joanne was getting truly comfortable and really thinking about what she was reading (instead of thinking about other things), the phone suddenly rang out. _RIIING_. "Speak."

"Maureen? Oh, shoot, you've got work...shoot...Maureen, it's an emergency..."

Joanne looked up immediately. Mark's voice sounded scared. An emergency?

"Please, Maureen, pick up the phone..."

Should she pick it up? An emergency...

"Please, be late like you always are...please still be there..."

"Hello?" Joanne hated herself the moment she picked up the phone.

A pause. "Umm...Maureen?"

"No, it's not Maureen."

Another pause, longer. "Umm...who is it?"

"Umm...a friend. Maureen just left for work."

Joanne could still hear Mark swear, even though he tried to lower his voice. "Shit. Umm...do you know if you can give her an important message?"

"Is it about Roger?"

Pause. "How do you know...?"

"She said if it was something about someone named Roger to call her." Joanne thought up a good excuse fast.

"OK, umm...can you call her and tell her to call this number as soon as possible?"

"Yeah, sure..." Joanne fumbled for the pad of paper and pen. "OK, shoot." Joanne quickly dictated the phone number.

"OK, umm...shit, can you please tell her to call me _right_ back?"

"I will. Don't worry."

"OK. Thank you..."

Joanne hung up the phone, immediately rushing to find the number Maureen had given her. She quickly dialed the number.

_Riiing_. _Riiing_. Come on, she thought. Please pick up...

"Hello?" A man's voice came on, and Joanne could hear loud music in the background.

"Umm, hello?" Joanne felt like she should yell to be heard over the loud music, which felt awkward in the silent apartment building. "Is Maureen there?"

"Is she a customer?" The man's voice was husky, and it made Joanne very uncomfortable.

"No, umm...she works there..."

"Oh, Maureen Johnson. Lemme get 'er for you, sweetie..." A pause. "Hello?"

"Maureen, it's me."

Maureen could tell something was wrong; Joanne was sure of it. "...Joanne? What is it?"

"Maureen, Mark called." Silence. "Get a piece of paper, he gave you a number to call."

"Oh, shit..." Joanne heard frantic fumbling. "OK, what's the number?" Joanne gave her the phone number, and had Maureen repeat it to her to make sure her own shaky voice hadn't distorted the number. "Did...did he say anything?"

"He said it was an emergency. You just call him."

"OK." The line went dead. Joanne hung up the phone, breathing heavily. She walked over to the couch, collapsing on it as if she was exhausted. Had she gotten herself tangled into something she didn't want to be tangled in?


	6. Fake Froot Loops and Get Togethers

**A/N:** Yeah, it's a quarter after one in the morning. Third Ms. J chapter I've written today. Joanne is just coming so easily for me. I'll probably space out these chapters now, so that you guys don't have to read three chapters all at once. You can let it all sink in one chapter at a time. Since now I kinda know where I'm going with this fic.

P.S. There are some references to my one-shot 'Buzzline' in this chapter, but you can probably get by without reading it. But one of the jokes will only make sense if you read that fic, probably. Authors can mix their stories together. It's their stories. So NYEAH! READ!

.-.-.

"Joanne?"

Joanne looked up from her massive textbook in stunned amazement. "M-maureen?"

Maureen, who was shutting the front door behind her, nodded with a smile. "I'm home."

Joanne leapt up immediately. "What happened?"

Maureen waved a hand at Joanne, indicating she wasn't quite ready to talk about it. She went over to the kitchen area, pulling out a box of dry store-brand cereal and eating a handful dry. After a minute of eating cereal in complete silence, she came over to Joanne, motioning her to sit on the couch (her mouth was full), and sat down next to her (after swallowing). "Roger tried to bail."

Joanne blinked. "What did he do?"

Maureen let a long sigh fall out. "Mark found Roger in the hotel room, trying to shoot up." Joanne gasped, and Maureen shrugged in a defeated fashion. "Mark had to throw the whole stash out the window, and when he called he was at a payphone in the main lobby, because he had locked Roger into the apartment. Said Roger was going crazy. I talked Mark through it, told him to calm down, because if one of them wasn't calm, it was pointless. Poor guy...he was so scared..."

Joanne nodded. "He sounded it."

Shockingly, Maureen laughed, short and swift. "He asked me who the hell had answered the phone, and I said it was just somebody I was letting use the extra space 'cause she needed it. He says thanks again."

"Any time."

"And he means it, believe me." Maureen laughed again. "He kept saying, 'PLEASE tell her thank you for me a hundred times over!', but I'm not sure you want to sit and hear me say 'thank you' a hundred times." Both of them laughed at this, but it didn't last long. The shock of what had happened hadn't really worn off. "But he's really grateful you got the guts to pick up the phone. Otherwise he probably wouldn't have had the guts to go back in and face Rog. He said he would..."

_RIIING._ Both of them jumped, and Maureen literally ran to the phone, snatching it. "Mark! Yes, it's me...Is he OK?...Are _you_ OK?...Honey, I was worried _you_ would do something stupid..." She lowered her tone, as if Roger would be able to hear them if she spoke too loud. "Are you sure you got rid of it all? I'm serious, Mark! If there's any of it left, he'll try to use it. Believe me. Make sure all of it's gone..._all_ of it...does he want to talk?...No, I didn't think he did...No, Mark, don't try to make him. It's hard for him, too. You have to remember that, Mark. This is _hard_...I know, Mark...I _know_ it's hard for you too...I know, Mark...you don't need to tell me, I was at the funeral, I think I know she's dead. Mark, just...just..._stop_ interrupting me and listen. Just take it easy. Get on the next bus back. I'll be here all day tomorrow...yes, I do think you should get here early. The sooner more than one person can help, the better...Yes, she's still here..." (Joanne shifted slightly, knowing she was now being talked about.) "...We met on the subway last night and she needed a place to stay tonight. Mark, you know how dangerous it is on the streets...Yes, I've been out most of the day, and she's just been working here...Why are you asking me? Why don't you ask her?" (Joanne suppressed a laugh.) "...OK, Pookie, stay safe! BOTH of you! And get home so I can help you...No, she'll be gone. Why in the world are you so worried?...What? Stop mumbling, Pookie..." Maureen suddenly broke into hysterical laughter. "Pookie! That's silly! Seriously! Just get home safe, OK? I'm hanging up, Pookie! Hanging up! No, no, I'm doing it! Bye, Pookie! Bye! I'm hanging up! Right...now!" She hung up the phone, laughing hysterically. She looked at Joanne for just a second, calming down enough to say "I love playing with his little head. He's so cute when he gets protective anyways." When Joanne only blinked in confusion, Maureen laughed a little more, and then sighed. "Oh, I'm going to hit the sack."

Joanne rolled her eyes. (She couldn't stop asking herself over and over "...Pookie?") "Me too."

Maureen shook her head at Joanne. "You could have just gone to sleep. You didn't have to wait for me."

Joanne shrugged. "I was worried. Is it weird that I was worried about people I have never met before?"

Maureen blinked. "No, I don't think so. If I was in your shoes, I think I would be scared stiff."

Joanne shrugged yet again. She knelt down and reached into her suitcase, searching for some pajamas. When she had pulled them up, she stood up. "Can I change in the bathroom?"

Maureen blinked a few times. "The bathroom..." Joanne was confused by Maureen's suddenly dazed expression at the mention of the bathroom. After a moment, she seemed to awaken from her trance, and nodded. "Sure. I'm going on to bed. Goodnight, Joanne."

Joanne stepped into the bathroom, smiling at her before shutting the door. "Goodnight, Maureen," she said through the door.

.-.-.

"You sure your place is all figured out?"

"I'm sure. You don't need to worry about me, Maureen." Joanne shook her head over her mug of dry cereal. (_Quality breakfast_, she had thought.)

Maureen sighed. "Mark called from the bus station while you were in the shower. Said he would be here with Roger at noon."

"By then, I'll be halfway to Harvard," Joanne said with a smirk, tossing another piece of stale Froot Loop imitation into her mouth.

Maureen shrugged. "I've loved getting to know you, Joanne. You'll have to call me again here to give me a phone number so we can keep in touch!"

Joanne nodded happily. "Of course. I'm glad we met."

Maureen smiled. "Me too." There was a soft silence between them during which both of them ate their cereal in content quietness. "Maybe you can come up and visit us before your graduation. When...Roger's feeling better, probably. I'm serious, you would love Mark."

Joanne shook her head. "Oh, I don't want to have to intrude."

"It wouldn't be! Just you and me for a meal at Life, then, once in a while?"

Joanne shrugged. "Hopefully." Joanne looked at the clock, which read 9:45. "I better get going. I believe a train leaves Grand Central at 10:10."

Maureen smiled. "I better stay here, in case Mark and Roger get here early."

Joanne nodded in agreement. She stood up, picking up her purse and her suitcase and duffel. She made for the front door, but paused just before walking out of the door, and turned around to face Maureen, only to find her feet away from her. The two of them pulled into a long embrace, hugging each other tightly. Joanne felt a tear trickle down her cheek. "Thank you for all your help."

"Thank _you_. Hell, if I hadn't talked Mark through last night, who knows what he would have done? Who knows what _Roger_ would have done?" The two of them pulled apart, holding hands, and then Joanne walked away, picking her suitcase back up and walking out the front door. She heard Maureen shut the door behind her as she walked towards the staircase.

The entire train ride home, Joanne had a massive smile planted on her face.

.-.-.

"Ms. Joanne Jefferson."

The young graduate walked up to the podium, amid applause from the parents and classmates in the audience. Joanne accepted the diploma from the stately woman smiling at her, and turned to face the crowd for a moment before walking off of the stage.

She could see her parents, both smiling. Her mother looked truly proud, as did her father. Wasn't that really all she wanted? Just to make them proud? She could see, amid the sea of caps and gowns, her _former_ roommate, looking up at her with a pained expression from beside her new girlfriend, who Joanne had learned was named Marcella. But the happiest face in the crowd (aside from her parents) was that of a young woman in a form-fitting black dress, applauding like mad, her curly-black hair bouncing all over the place.

Joanne let her eyes linger on Maureen as she walked off the stage. She was still going steady with Mark, of course. Roger was in the first stages of withdrawl, as Maureen had told her at their last café meeting (which had happened every weekend for the past month). Collins had given Roger a good pep talk on AIDS during his visit the weekend after Mark and Roger returned from the clinic. (Joanne learned that Collins was, like Roger, HIV positive, which explained his 'Actual Reality' theory.) Joanne was kept completely up-to-date on all the happenings of Maureen's friends.

But she didn't meet a single one of them until many, _many_ months later, when a young filmmaker would nervously enter a small, cramped performance space as she prepared the stage for a young diva she had fallen for.

But that's getting a little ahead of the story.

.-.-.

A young woman hustled through the streets of New York City, changed and determined. Her coat was wrapped tightly around her figure clothed in a pant suit. Her briefcase clasped in one hand, her other hand holding her coat shut, she kept her head high.

She walked through the revolving door of the office building, smiling at the receptionist, who smiled back, greeting her with a short "Good morning, Ms. Jefferson". The lawyer nodded in response, walking into the elevator at the same time as another business man, who also greeted her with a "Good morning, Ms. Jefferson."

"Good morning, Alfred." She tapped her toe as she waited for the elevator to arrive at the floor she wanted. As the bell announced her arrival at the correct floor, she walked off briskly, walking confidently down the hall to Room 101. She pulled out a key ring from her purse, searching for the correct key.

"Good morning, Kitten."

Joanne looked up from trying to open the door to her office and smiled at her father, who was peeking out of the door of his own office. "Good morning, Dad. How are you?"

Mr. Jefferson nodded. "Quite well. Will you be able to visit us for Thanksgiving next week?"

Joanne paused, unlocking her door and opening it. "Of course, Father! Who else would I spend Thanksgiving with?" There was a long pause. "I've always come home for Thanksgiving, Dad. Now it's even easier, since we're not a train ride away."

Her father let out a long sigh through his nose. "Your mother still worries about you, honey."

Joanne let her eyes cast downward. "I know, Dad." There was a long silence. "I-I need to get to work..." She hurried into her office, shutting the door behind her.

She sat down behind her desk, letting out a long breath. It wasn't easy to have to be put on a guilt trip about her sexuality every time she went to work. Her eyes wandered over the pile of paperwork on her desk, and then over to the phone, blinking at the pulsating light. She picked up the phone, pushing a button.

"_You have 1 new message._ Hey, it's me!" Maureen rolled her eyes as the young woman's voice came on. "Just calling to say hi! Remember: have a sunny and _darling_ day, not to make any crude allusions to media."

Joanne cracked up as the message ended. Even though Joanne had told her not to call her anymore at the office, Maureen kept doing it. And, however 'unprofessional' it seemed, it still cheered her up. She dialed a number by memory into the phone. It rang once. Twice. "Hello?"

"Hey, Maureen! I told you not to leave any more messages on my machine!"

There was laughter from the other end. "I just wanted to make sure my favorite lawyer had a good day!"

"A _sunny_ and _darling_ one to boot." More laughter on the other end. "You _know_ I hate that show."

"Which is exactly why I mentioned it! Don't try to tell me you didn't laugh, I know you too well!"

Joanne rolled her eyes. "Why did you call me, anyways?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to...well, go to dinner tonight!"

Silence. Stunned silence. "Maureen, I thought we already had this talk. We can't get together at night. Then it's a date."

"So?"

"...Maureen...you have a boyfriend." _Oh, no..._

"Not anymore."

"..._WHAT?_"

"Well, you see...I just didn't feel like things were working anymore with me and Mark."

"...Maureen...why did you dump Mark?"

"...Can we talk about it over dinner?"

Silence. _I haven't had a girlfriend since Celia. In fact, I haven't even gone on a date since Celia. _"Well...all right."

"GREAT! I'll meet you at your place at seven!"

Joanne sighed, defeated. "Sure, Maureen...my place."

"It'll be fun! Have a great day, Joanne!"

"But, Maureen..." The line was dead before she could say anything. Joanne sat there for a moment, stunned. Had she really just given into Maureen that easily? They had known each other for 6 months now, during which they had built a wonderful friendship. And this wasn't the first time Maureen had suggested dinner. Why did Joanne cave in now? Why did she let her defenses down?

_Because it's Maureen, that's why. You've secretly been waiting for this since you met the girl._


	7. CoverUp and Spaghetti

**A/N:** So, here we have Chapter Seven. My last fic ended at Chapter Seven. But you would already know that if you read ATLL. :D I was happy with how that ended, but I know in my head it isn't over. It will probably be continued with a new series, but not until I finish up this sucker. I don't like to have too many series going at once. Oh, and I decided that, for lack of a better title, I'm just gonna keep this title as it is, even if it is kinda stupid. XD So, let's see what my characters decide to do this time...

.-.-.

Joanne looked at herself in the mirror in the small bathroom she used. She just barely had enough room for a shower, toilet, and small sink and mirror. Even though it was cramped, the landlord was fair in his rent nowadays, now that he had gotten to know her a little better. He wasn't as bad as she had thought he was when she first met him. Every once in a while he would let a month of rent slide, like when he knew she was having a rough go with something at work.

She buttoned up one more button of her black dinner coat, scrunched her nose in dislike, and unbuttoned it again. She brushed off her black suit pants for the umpteenth time with her hands, and grabbed a comb and ran it through her hair once again. Just as she was about to add a little more cover-up to an annoying spot on her chin, there was a loud knock at the door. She dropped the bottle of makeup, rushing out of the bathroom and into the small, one-room apartment, grabbing her purse off of a chair before going to the door and opening it.

There she was, in a form-fitting red dress and high heels of the same fire engine red. Joanne had to blink a few times before she could take it all in, her bright red lips in a massive smile as she squealed, "Joanne! I'm so happy to see you!"

Joanne smiled back, trying to control her sudden feelings she knew she should be holding back. "It's g-great to see you too, Maureen."

However awkward Joanne felt, Maureen was the exact opposite. She looked like she was about to explode from excitement. "Where do you want to go?"

"Umm...I hadn't really thought –"

"That's OK! How about we just go to this nice little place I saw up north of here?"

"I...guess that's -"

"Great! Come on!" Maureen grabbed Joanne by the hand, almost dragging her out of her apartment and shutting the front door. Joanne followed Maureen down the staircase, having to almost jog to keep up with her. She was always so amazingly energetic, it blew her away every time. Was that why she was having these feelings?

.-.-.

"What may I get you, ladies?" The waiter stood at their two person table, a small notebook in his hand and a pen prepped to take their order.

Maureen folded up her menu, handing it to the waiter. "I'll have a Fettuccini Alfredo, with _lots_ of Alfredo sauce, please!"

The waiter nodded, tucking the menu under his arm and turning to Joanne, who was still looking through the menu. She had actually attended this restaurant numerous times while meeting with her clients, and could have placed her order on the spot if she wanted to. The only thing was the menu was a very nifty way of not making eye contact with Maureen. Unfortunately, she knew the menu trick was never going to last forever, so she might as well just give up. "I'll...just have a Spaghetti Marinara." She folded up her menu quickly, handing it to the waiter and immediately picking up her purse and shifting around the items inside as if looking for something. The waiter nodded again, leaving them alone.

Joanne was frantically thinking up new ways to avoid talking to Maureen. Maybe she could go to the bathroom and disappear for a moment. And she could pretend she had an important call and excuse herself to talk to a dead line on her cell phone. Once the food came, she could suddenly have a ravenous appetite and not be able to speak because she was eating so quickly...

"What's wrong, Joanne?"

_Shit._ "Umm...nothing, I just..."

"Joanne, I want to talk to you about something, now that we're here."

For a moment, Joanne was scared. Now the cell phone ploy sounded very useful. But a little voice in her head told her that she was being immature. Why was she so worried about talking to Maureen? They had known each other for half a year now. It probably was nothing majorly important, anyways...OK, Joanne, take a few deep breaths...count to ten...After a long and dead pause, Joanne sighed, shutting her purse and setting it back underneath the table. "Actually, Maureen, I want to ask you something."

Maureen blinked, looking at Joanne straight in the eye. "Well...OK...what is it?"

Joanne took a deep breath, still looking at the woman straight in the eye, and finally mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been annoying her all day. "Maureen...why did you break up with Mark?"

Maureen's eyes fell down to her hands, which were folded in her lap. "I knew you were gonna ask that."

"Maureen..." Joanne could quite figure out how to put her confusion into words. "You were always going on about how wonderful he is, and how he worships the ground you walk on..." _OK, here's the hard part._ "Why did you do that to him?"

There was a long silence, during which Joanne watched Maureen desperately and Maureen stared at her hands in her lap. After what seemed like ages to Joanne, Maureen finally looked up, an odd look in her eyes. "Joanne...I think I'm...well, you see, I don't know exactly how it happened...but..." She laughed softly, almost in a nervous way.

Joanne continued to watch her. "What? What happened? Did he do something?" A pause. "Did _you_ do something?" A longer pause. "Maureen, please, just spit it out."

"IthinkI'malesbian." It came out so fast Joanne had to replay the string of words in her head, slowing it down. _I think I'm a lesbian_. "...Wow." She couldn't think of anything more intelligent to say.

Another nervous laugh escaped from Maureen. "Yeah. And...well, this may seem a little crazy to you, but..." She was staring at Joanne with the same odd look in her eyes. "...I think the girl I'm falling for...is..._you_."

Maureen could have said she was hiding a bomb in her purse and was going to blow up the quaint little Italian restaurant and Joanne would have been less surprised. Joanne couldn't even think of one word to say that wouldn't be complete gibberish, so her mouth simple hung open slightly as she stared at Maureen in stunned silence. Maureen laughed again. "Joanne, I felt something about you...ever since we met. You were so different from anything I've ever had before..."

Joanne wanted to do something, stand up and walk out of the restaurant even, but something glued her to her chair. Finally, her numbed brain thought of something to say. "I...I'm shocked."

Maureen laughed, a meek smile curling her lips. "I knew you would be. But...that's why I dumped Mark. He's just...not quite what I want."

Joanne's mind was reeling. Should she confess her own curious feelings she had been having, that perhaps, just maybe, she liked Maureen back? Or should she tell her it would never work? They were completely different people! Sure, it was all right for them to get together on the weekends for lunch, but...being romantic? "What...what did Mark say? When you told him you were..." Suddenly, something occurred to Joanne. "Did you tell him you were falling for a girl!"

Maureen shrugged. "I couldn't do that to him. He...didn't say anything. The line went dead."

"You...you broke up with Mark on the _phone_!"

She shrugged again, and Joanne realized that Maureen was reminding her almost exactly of a sort of small squirrel trapped in headlights. "Well, I didn't want to see his face when I told him it was over."

"What _did_ you tell him, Maureen?" In reality, Joanne was just trying to keep the topic away from if she liked Maureen back. Her brain wasn't really connected to the conversation they were having; it was somewhere else, trying to piece together what to do.

"I...just said that something had happened, and it was over between us." Maureen was looking down at her hands again, almost as if she was ashamed. (And if she wasn't, she was doing a mighty good job of acting like she was.)

Joanne fumbled with what to say next. "Maureen, I...I just...I don't know...And you...but we..."

"Just..." Maureen cut her off suddenly, and Joanne's mouth snapped shut. "Just...tell me if you feel the same. If you don't, that's OK...I'll understand..." Maureen wasn't looking at her still, seeming almost shy (even though 'shy' and 'Maureen' had never made sense together in Joanne's mind).

"I..." Joanne looked away as well, off into the distance, frantically thinking. Did she? Or didn't she? Was it really more than a friendship that was making these feelings? Her mouth, however, was suddenly not as hesitant as her brain, as it suddenly blurted out, "I do." There was a stunned silence between them, Maureen probably shocked at what she had heard and Joanne shocked at what she had just said. Both of them looked up at each other at the same time and, neither knowing quite what to do, Joanne continued. "I think I do...I think I'm falling for you, Maureen..."

Suddenly, Maureen's face lit up as she broke into a great big smile. "Are you serious! This is wonderful! I..." Suddenly her expression changed, and she was confused and worried once again. "But...I thought your parents...they're strict, aren't they? You didn't want to date another girl, in case they got angry..."

Joanne stood up, her legs moving of their own accord, as she walked around the table to Maureen. "Who cares anymore?" Their eyes met, and suddenly their heads had moved together and their lips were connected in a passionate kiss. Neither really paid attention to anything around them, as they held each other suddenly, furthering their intense kiss. The kiss felt like it lasted forever to Joanne, and, despite her logical side yelling at her that she was making a huge mistake, she loved it. Every last second of it.

There was a sharp noise from beside them, and the two of them broke apart to see their waiter standing in front of them, eyes wide. After Joanne looked around for a moment, she noticed the entire restaurant was looking at them with wide eyes as well, some amazed, some shocked, and even a few with a disgusted look on their faces. After a long pause, Joanne ducked underneath the table and grabbed her purse, setting a twenty dollar bill on the table. "That should cover our food." She grabbed Maureen by the hand, pulling her up. "Let's take this somewhere else."

Maureen smiled at her slyly as the two began to rush out of the restaurant amid stares and gaping customers. "Your place?"

Joanne smiled back, and she got a sudden sensation throughout her body that filled her with animal desires. "My place."

.-.-.

**A/N**: Sorry it's a little short, but I am posting this at the same time I'm posting Chapter Eight. So it's all good.


	8. Lime Green and Tan

**A/N**: **Language** in this chapter because (you guessed it) Roger has a cameo appearance. XD Those who read my other fics will already have read my explanation of how I do not swear, but Roger does, so I won't repeat it. XD

.-.-.

As Joanne walked out of the elevator the next morning, she had an unusual spring to her step that wasn't usually there. She had a smile that was a little warmer than her usual corporate 'poster smile' to make herself more presentable. And she was wearing a lime green shirt underneath her tan dinner jacket, instead of a plain white one as usual. And this change was not going unnoticed. When Joanne had first walked into the building, Daisy, the receptionist, had watched her a moment longer than her usual glance upwards for her daily 'Good morning, Ms. Jefferson.' In fact, she got quite a few odd looks. Was she that much different?

"Kitten! Good morning!"

Joanne spun around halfway through unlocking her office door to face her father, smiling broadly. "Good morning, Dad!" She walked right up to him, hugging him tightly and kissing him on the top of his balding head.

He gave a light chuckle. "Well! Somebody's in a chipper mood today!"

Joanne smiled as she turned back to her office, unlocking the door and walking in. Just before shutting the door, she leaned out of the door, smiling. "You could say that." She shut the door with a snap, skipping lightly before settling herself at her desk. She hadn't felt this good for a while. It was invigorating, like she was on top of the world. She laughed softly as she saw the blinking light on her phone. She picked it up, pushing a button and listening, leaning back slightly in her office chair.

"_You have 1 new message_. Well, good morning, Ms. Jefferson!" Joanne laughed out loud as she listened to Maureen's fluctuating voice. "I see you left without giving me a kiss goodbye!" Joanne stifled another laugh as the sounds of Maureen making out with the receiver of her telephone came out of the phone. "Have a _daaaarling_ day!" There was a slight hiccup, and the message ended. Joanne laughed, wondering exactly how hung over Maureen was. If that message was any indication, it would be hilarious to see her.

Joanne worked for a while, the sound of Maureen saying 'Have a daaaarling day' echoing in her mind as she called various people: clients, other lawyers, and other people she needed to talk to. Finally, after hanging up on the third client of the day, Joanne wanted to take a break. She looked at the clock on the wall of her office. 10:45. She had been working for nearly three hours. Now would be the perfect time to take a break, after all. She didn't have to call anybody else until that phone conference at 11:10. A thought occurred to her, making her smile slightly. Joanne picked up her phone and dialed the number of her apartment swiftly, waiting as the phone rang once. Twice. Three times. "Hello, you have reached the apartment of Joanne Jefferson. If you want to reach me at work..."

Joanne hung up the phone, sighing. So she wasn't still there. Either that or she hadn't been able to get to the phone if she was hung over enough. She picked the phone back up and dialed the phone number of Maureen's place. The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. Just as Joanne was about to hang up and think of another way to spend her break, somebody answered the phone. "Hello?"

Joanne froze as a man's voice answered the phone. _Shit._ She had never considered what would happen if Mark or Roger were to ever answer the phone. A little corner of her mind wondered why it had taken so long for this to happen, but she was snapped out of her thoughts as the man's voice spoke again. "Umm, hello?"

_SHIT._ She recognized the voice immediately, even though the last time she had heard it they had been panicking. _Mark_. The voice spoke once more. "Hello? Is anybody there?"

_Shit, say something..._ "Umm, is Maureen there?"

A long pause. "Who is this?"

_Please don't let him recognize me...oh, please..._ "Umm...a friend."

Another long pause. _Shit. He recognized me._ "I-is this...Joanne?"

_SHIT_. "Umm..." She laughed nervously, as if he had just accused her of killing somebody. "Yeah...ha ha..."

Yet another long pause. _Shit, shit, shit..._ "She's not here. She got all her stuff and left about half an hour ago."

Joanne could hardly believe what she had just heard. "...You mean she left?"

Silence. Suddenly, Joanne heard loud, clunking noises, then footsteps. She vaguely heard the sound of a door opening and shutting. She blinked. "...Hello?"

There was the sound of somebody picking the phone back up. "Hey, who the hell is this?"

_Shit. Roger._ For a moment, Joanne considered hanging up, but knew that they would probably call her back if she did. "Umm...where did Maureen go?"

"How the fuck should I know? She grabbed all her stuff, told Mark she had gone lesbian, and left. Probably went to find her new lover, whoever she is."

Joanne pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at it in disbelief. Why in the _world_ had Maureen done something that irrational? She brought the phone back next to her ear to listen as Roger continued. "Who the hell is this, anyways?"

"I...just a friend...thank you..." Joanne hung up immediately, shocked. She sat in her chair for a moment, running her fingers through her hair, breathing deeply. What in the world did Maureen do? Roger's words suddenly came to her. _Probably went to find her new lover_. Her eyes widened in revelation, and she leapt up, grabbing her coat off of the hanger next to her door. Just as she was halfway out the door, a sound from her office made her freeze.

The phone was ringing.

She immediately rushed back into her office, shutting the door quickly behind her, and looking at the number on the caller ID. It was her apartment number. Stunned, dazed, and confused, she picked up the phone. "H-Hello?"

"Hey, Joanne!"

Joanne stared straight ahead in disbelief. "Maureen!"

"What's wrong, Joanne?"

"...What's wrong! I called up your apartment and..." She stumbled to find the right words. "You...I was..."

"Hey, I was just going to tell you about that!" Her excited voice was almost confusing to Joanne compared to her frantic confusion.

Her hand fell on the desk, holding her up for support. "Maureen...why are you at my apartment?"

"Well, you see...I had this amazing idea! What if I moved in with you?"

There was a long, drawn out silence as Joanne stared straight ahead. "...What?"

"Well, it's a little weird living with my ex, you know...so what if I just moved in with you?"

Joanne staggered over to her chair, collapsing in it. "Maureen...isn't this a little sudden?"

"Oh, come on, Joanne! It'd be fun being roommates!" Joanne was still being blown away by how excited she was.

"I...there's hardly enough room for _me_ in that apartment..."

"We'd make it work! Oh, please?" Maureen sounded so pitiful, and Joanne could just see her bottom lip poking out in a pout. "Please? Please?"

Maureen was making Joanne feel like she would ruin her day if she said no. "Maureen, I..."

"Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?"

"I..." All of a sudden, the reckless side of Joanne that had seemed to appear overnight broke through. "I suppose that would be all right."

"Are you serious! This is great!"

Joanne smiled weakly. "Yeah..."

"Well, I've already got my stuff here! I'll see you here when you get home from work!"

"I..." Joanne was about to say something in protest, but the sound of Maureen's excited voice made her feel like jelly. She couldn't say no to her. "Sure, Maureen. I'll see you then."

"Goodbye, Joanne!"

"Good...goodbye." Joanne sighed as the line went dead. She limply set the phone back on its base, amazed at herself. She vaguely realized that Maureen had already brought her stuff to her apartment before even mentioning the idea to her. Did Maureen have that strong of a grip on her? _Probably_, a cynical voice in the back of her mind said.

There was a light knock on the door of her office that made Joanne jump slightly in her chair. "Kitten? Are you all right?"

Joanne sighed as her father's concerned voice came through the closed office door. "I'm fine, Dad. Come on in."

The old man opened the door slowly, standing in the doorway with the door open. "I heard your door open, but you shut it very quickly..."

"I got a call just as I was leaving." She sighed, shuffling through the paperwork on her desk, mindlessly looking through them so that she looked like she was doing something.

Her father probably wanted her to continue, but she remained silent. He let out a sigh. "I worry about you all the time, Kitten."

Joanne looked up at her father, smiling weakly. "You don't have to worry about me, Dad. I'm fine."

He smiled weakly at his daughter as she looked up at him, masking her feelings of stunned confusion. "Well, then...the conference starts in ten minutes, so be sure to be in here to answer the phone when it rings."

Joanne nodded. "Gotcha, Dad. I'm just going to go through a few papers and get ready for the meeting, then."

He smiled still, then turned around, leaving her office and shutting the door behind him. Joanne let out a long sigh, as if she was already exhausted. She was silently brooding over her thoughts when the phone rang sharply. She jumped, looking at the clock in amazement. It wasn't time for the meeting yet. She looked at the caller ID and saw with another sigh that it was her apartment. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, I was just wondering, do you mind if I change the sheets on our bed? The tan is a little dull, you know."

Joanne sighed. "Sure, Maureen...I have to go, I have a phone conference in a few minutes."

"OK, Joanne! See you when you get home!"

"Bye, Maureen." Joanne hung up the phone, almost tossing it onto the base. She hadn't even considered suggesting they keep her tan sheets, she thought with an exasperated sigh.

.-.-.

**A/N**: So, I gave you two short chapters instead of one long chapter. XD I could have meshed them together into one big chapter, but they don't link like that in my mind.


End file.
